BAGman,
I went out there today and caught two more fins. I hooked a huge fin at the beginning of the day that weighed three pounds five ounces and was 19 inches long. After I caught a couple of little b@$$ and a huge b@$$, I hooked another fin. This one was a little bit smaller it weighed one pound twelve ounces and was 17 inches long. When I get a new pole I'll be back out there catching some more fins.
FOTY - 2 under 24"
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/25/08
BAGman,
I went fishing in a new spot down 563 a couple of miles down the road from my usual spot. I was using a Booyah trying to lure in some huge bowfin so I can make my way up on the FOTY and on the story board, so I can share my stories with everyone. I casted my line by 2 big cypress trees, got a hit and reeled it in, but it was a little half-pound b@$$. After, I cast out in about the same area, then it happened! My lined tightened up super tight and at the end of it was a nice size bowfin thrashing about. I fought with her for a couple minutes then finally got her in. She weighed 2 pounds 11 oz and she measured up about 17 inches long. It wasn't my best catch but I would rather catch bowfin that size over anything, any day.
FOTY - 1 under 24"
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/19/08
P.S. FOTY - 2 under 24", 06/23/08
P.P.S. FOTY - 3 under 24", 06/24/08
BAGman,
I left at about 6:30 and went down to my fishing hole with my cousin. I was using a redfish lure; it's basically just a jig with a minnow body and spoon on it. I fished it for awhile then I finally got a hit and it was a good one too. I'm not sure how much it weighed because my scale is broken but I did get its measurements it was 17 inches long. I just bought a new scale so now I can start weighing them too.
FOTY - 1 under 24"
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/16/08
BAGman,
I went fishing today again. I caught two more fins; the smaller one that I caught was 17 inches and the bigger one that I caught was nineteen inches. I didn't get its weight because after I measured it, it flopped off the shore right into the water. I had a pretty good day of fishing but I didn't catch much today, just those two fins. I go fishing everyday so I'm pretty sure I'll catch some tomorrow. I'm trying my hardest to catch one over 30 inches or even 24, but I haven't seemed to get one yet. You can bet I will be trying my hardest!
FOTY - 2 under 24"
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/13/08
BAGman,
I went out today and I caught some more fins. The place we went to is in Liberty Texas down road 563 out of Raymond Creek. This place is loaded with bowfin!
FOTY - 2 under 24"
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/11/08
BAGman,
My name is Daniel H, I live in Dayton, Texas, and I just wanted to join here because I really enjoy catching bowfin! My friend and I just went finnin' yesterday and he caught about eight of them and I caught 5 bowfin and 2 b@$$. I'm sending a picture of my first bowfin I caught.
FOTY - 1 under 24", 1 new Hotspot
Grizzly Hunter, Daniel H 06/10/08
Caught my first grinnel of the year today at Spindeltop Reservoir just south of Winnie, Texas. Just a small male that was starting to color up pretty good and tried to chew my left shoe off when I got him in the boat. Caught him on a baby brush hog, but may try chunks of old shoe next time. Good Fishin'!!???
RickJ 02/25/08
BAGman,
Just as the cold front was moving in through Kingwood, Texas on 11/21, I headed to a
small creek near the Deerwood Country Club to catch my limit of catfish. Instead, in the
midst of the thunder I landed the biggest Shoepick that I had ever seen. It fought me
like a tiger, and, when I finally got the fish onto land, it fell of the hook. I barely
had him by the lip.
This leads me refer to the text on your website about people who reach in to grab this
fish. This is something I don't understand. A shoepick is the meanest , most ornery,
bite-ing-est monster that I have ever dealt with. I would never put my fingers close to
the mouth of a shoepick. One time I stuck the handle of the landing net into the mouth of
a shoepick to keep it open so that I could remove the hook....and.......even then I
thought that devil would bite my finger off. Their teeth are like razors. I call them a
freshwater shark (add that to your list of names).
The fillet next to the dorsal fin on a shoepick is some of the best fish eating in the
world. The meat can be a little dry, so I usually marinate them. (We have fed shoepick to
the kids when they were little and they all thought they were eating chicken).
Shoepick is my favorite fish on earth--and--they have been on earth for ions. They are my
favorite to catch--to eat -- and to brag about. If this is the fish you are after, it is
always best to use a metal leader and strong, sharpened stainless steel hooks.
I caught this ten pounder on a very large shrimp with the head on....I think that shrimp
is one of the best baits for this species..
PS-- My son Matthew loves the fight from a shoepick, so, he releases the ones he catches.
To me they are just too good to eat. Some people consider them bottom-feeding-trash fish
and bring them to me if they catch them (because they know I eat them). Strange--because
these same people will eat free running chickens (chickens eat anything and are much
worse than a shoepick when it comes to what they will put in their mouth).
PPS-- One last thing.........using an electric knife sure helps in cleaning. this animal
or getting to the fillet.
Sincerely
Guy W, Kingwood, Texas, 11/26/07
BAGman,
I came across your website a few weeks ago when I caught my first bowfin. I screwed up and left it on ice/water overnight and the meat was like oatmeal. Guess it's better to clean them immediately.
Anyway, I am heading to fish the Sabine River this weekend, and was wondering a couple of things.....
I caught my Fin on beef heart. Is there a better bait you recommend? Somewhere I read that cut mullet was good. Just wondering. Also, is it best to have the bait on the bottom, or closer to the surface.
Does this advice go as well for Gar?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Mike A, 11/03/07
BAGman,
I've been told by an old ranch foreman that he's "caught a couple of bowfin over the years"... even though some state biologist told me that they don't come this far down in the state (Edna). Well, this evening, we caught our first. It was a fine female a bit over 2 feet long & every bit as tough as you describe. I caught it in a wide spot in a ditch called Dry Creek. It usually has perch, catfish, bluecrabs & an occasional gator. The meat was fine, even though it was the softest meat I've ever seen.
Carl S, 10/24/07
Hello
I am a US soldier serving in Iraq, and I came across your page. I went to the states on leave a month ago, and while home my brother and I fished on the Angelina River in Texas. My brother caught about a 6 or 7-pound choupique on a lightweight spinning rod! We always keep choupique, and the same day we fried him up along with some catfish, b@$$, bluegill, and gaspergou. I told my squad leader, who is a hardcore b@$$ fisherman, about the big choupique when I came back to Iraq. He actually called me a "bowfin angler" in a half-joking, half- you're-crazy manner. I replied that I may be, but this "bowfin angler" can promise that he catches more fish than you!
SPC BobR, Baghdad, Iraq 07/28/06
March 2006
Hi Chuck,
Bowfin are still bitting in Texas! We were back at Lake Fork last weekend
anticipating a few b@$$. They weren't biting very well so we rigged for
catfish. My son Hunter caught this 3-4 lb Bowfin and a few cats on his
grandfather's 30 year old Abu Ambassador. He can't stop saying that he is
so proud to have caught these fish. He asked me last night when we were
getting up at 4am again to go fishing. As you can see in the picture, his
expression says it all. He is excited about his first Bowfin catch!
WillisH, Texas 03/24/06
These fish (a male and a female by the dot near the tail) were both caught at Lake Fork, Texas. We were actually b@$$ fishing and were lucky enough to catch a couple of fins. We caught them with live bait, something called a Black Salty. The salties are about 4-6 inches long and very active when fished under a cork. The water temp was in the mid to high 50's. These are awesome fierce fighters, however after catching one, the b@$$ fishing really slows down. I think they might scare b@$$ away.
Both, after a while started to bleed near the tail. What causes this reaction?
WillisH, Texas, 03/07/06
Here is a pic of another grinnel my wife Sandra caught 3-1-06 at the
Spindeltop Bass Club outside of Winnie, Texas. It was over 30 inches long and
weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz, and was a female. She caught it on a camo colored baby brush
hog while b@$$ fishin'. It put up one gigantic battle in the water and an
equally gigantic one once we got it in the boat. It was released unharmed.
Thanks,
RickJ 03/03/06
I
caught this bowfin on the Sabine River in
Orange, Texas. I had never had seen one before. It fought like a b@$$,
maybe harder. (Photo by Chris H)
Mike M 06/28/05
Hi, Just happened to run across your site because it just so
happens my wife caught the strangest grinnel today that I have ever
seen - and I have been catching them for over 35 years. We catch them
while bass fishing and just chunk them back, but I took some pics of
this one and since you guys seem to be experts, I thought I would send
you a couple of pics of this one. I was a small male, about 4 lbs or
so, but it had two long stripes of almost florescent green down its
lower belly from chin to tail. I have caught many males with the green
fins, but nothing anywhere near this one...it looked like it had been
painted!!! Let me know what you think and if you have ever seen one as
greened up as this one. Thanks,
Rick J Winnie, Texas
Thanks for the reply, my wife will be excited to know that she
has made the Big Time on the Internet!!! Over the years, I have caught
many of these grinnells, all while bass fishing, and have seen all the
brightly colored fins on the males, but NEVER have I seen one with its
body all chartreuse.....the camera really didn't catch the total
brightness of the green on this fish. I wish I had taken more pictures.
I just found your sight by searching "bowfin" wanting to learn a little
about them. I had no idea people actually went fishing for them on
purpose. I REALLY never knew people ate them....well, maybe some of the
local cajuns....ha. Anyway, my wife Sandra caught this fish (her third
grinnel of the day), on 4-16-05 in Spindeltop Reservoir outside of
Winnie, Texas. The temp was around 75, sunny, a little windy, and she
caught it on a teguila shad Culprit plastic worm. The tail had been
dipped in garlic chartreuse dye. We didn't weigh it because it was alot
smaller than the normal ones we catch, but I am sure it was probably a
little over 4 pounds. Feel free to put her pic on your website, she
will get a kick out of it.
Thanks, Rick
My
wife Sara and I were fishing on the west side
of the Toledo Bend Spillway in Texas on the afternoon of the 27
November, around 4 PM. I was around a slight bend slightly downstream
to the south when I heard my wife shouting for a net upstream, about
100 meters to the north. I came running with the net and she was
engaged in full battle with this monster. I thought it was a Striper or
Hybrid she had landed-as that was our objective, then when she wrestled
it to shore, I reached in with the net and we pulled this baby out.
This is the second monster bowfin she has caught in Texas-Louisiana
this year. Based on your scale, we estimate it in the 30+ inches range
and probably around 14-16 lbs. We threw the fish back and continued to
fish.
Bill and Sara B
Fort Polk, LA
